Mystery Junction (1951) Reviews

• The futility of heroism

  aegoss2013-12-13

  The scenario in which a group of people find themselves in a closed environment where a murder is then committed by an unseen hand was not new when this short black and white film was made. However, Mystery Junction plays out the tale neatly and efficiently, keeping us guessing all the way, although following exactly who has done what to whom becomes increasingly difficult. The acting is excellent, the cinematography exemplary - there are some quite classical compositions, one in particular towards the end. This is a very British film, the drama comes from tension, not from heroics. Indeed, that heroism is futile is made plain throughout, and even where violence brings results, they will ever play you false. The quality of this film is masked by its low budget, and, on the print I just saw on television, murky resolution. Two of the cast, Sydney Tafler and Ewen Solon, went on to prominent TV careers, and most of the others found plenty of work in television. However, for Pearl Cameron, whose performance was a minor highlight of the film, this was her second, and last credit. While not an outstanding film, Mystery Junction is worth watching if you value tight, understated drama.

• Rather like a train at Christmas...slow to get going but eventually gets there.

  malcolmgsw2014-12-31

  This is a thriller which starts well ,then rather looses its way in talk,before ending a shootout more typical of Westerns.Unusually Sidney Tafler plays the hero.It starts on a train where he is recognised for his crime writing by a fellow passenger.Whilst the action is on the train it is quite interesting.However when the passengers get off at the snow bound station it rather hits the buffers.Texhniques beloved of quota quickies.i counted 10 characters in one shot.each would speak his piece and it would then be the turn of the next actor,so no editing is required.this middle section is over talkative and dull.However towards the end the pace picks up again with lots of gun play.The last scene is very reminiscent of "Woman In The Window".In the end a fairly average British B film.

• Excellent murder mystery

  XhcnoirX2016-04-28

  While on a train travelling through a snow storm, detective novel author Sydney Tafler is autographing one of his novels for Christine Silver. When he starts to explain to her the process of writing a detective novel, they hear a scream, coming from outside, and when they look around, they find fresh snow near the exit. They decide to alarm the train guard but he's been sapped and mugged. After poking around some more, they find police detective Ewen Solon is on the train, accompanying criminal Martin Benson to an important court appearance. Solon's partner has disappeared, and he believes whoever mugged the guard must've thrown his partner off the train. He orders everybody from their coach off the train at the next stop. But when the train leaves again, the group find themselves trapped inside the train station waiting room as the snow storm has blocked all the roads. While they are waiting for the weather to improve, the phone line is cut, and soon after an unknown person shoots Solon, giving Benson a chance to take control of the situation. Tafler however believes the bullet was meant for Benson, and he manages to convince him of it. Benson orders Tafler to flush out the killer... Only mildly noir-ish, this murder mystery yarn is a beautiful mix of Agatha Christie meets Alfred Hitchcock (in his British period). The stranded group also has several women including a gorgeous Barbara Murray as a showgirl hitching a ride on the train and Pearl Cameron as Benson's gun moll. Tafler is (again!) great here, in a less shady role, but he pulls off the quick-thinking author really well. The man is simply a joy to watch. Benson is not far behind. Tafler, Benson and Murray carry the movie, but the cast does a great job overall. The movie moves at a brisk pace, it lasts just over an hour, and while it's almost a two-acter, one half on the train, one half in the waiting room, it never fails to entertain. It's got a lot of dialogue, but also a lot of tension and suspense. Tafler does a good job of making Benson wary of his own men (as well as his gun moll) while Benson is ruthless and not above killing to make a point. As the movie progresses all the different relationships between the characters come to the surface, including why the killer attempted to, indeed, kill Benson. Director (and writer) Michael McCarthy and DoP Robert LaPresle already worked with Tafler and Benson on 'Assassin For Hire', which is a nicely made movie. But this is the superior movie. It doesn't have the shadowy look of the former, but it is such a well-made and 'effortless' movie, it really surprised me. Great stuff. Recommended! 8/10

• A Handsome B Mystery

  boblipton2019-04-18

  Mystery writer Sidney Taffler is speaking to Christine Silver as they travel on the train, about how he writes his stories. Suddenly a scream is heard. They investigate and discover one of the crew has been knocked out and his uniform stolen. There's also a detective transporting Martin Benson to his trial. To investigate, most of the passengers are taken to a station. As they wait, a storm rises outside. A shot rings out, and the detective is killed. Half the passengers are members of Benson's gang. They prepare to leave, but Taffer points out that no one admits to killing the detective. The target was Benson. They start to work out who wants him dead. It's a nicely composed classical locked-room mystery, decently acted, and brilliantly shot by DP Robert LaPresle, with carefully composed side-lighting to make the setting dark and oppressive, gradually giving away to brighter lighting as suspects are eliminated -- sometimes by shooting. It's good, sturdy B Movie work, composed for economy on two sets, with competent but inexpensive actors.

• Certainly a great looking movie, sadly it gets a bit muddled.

  Sleepin_Dragon2017-10-31

  Larry Gordon wakes up on board a train journey, to an adoring fan of his crime writing Miss Owens. The pair hear a loud scream and set off to investigate, whilst searching the train the pair stumble upon two detectives who are holding dangerous prisoner Steve Harding, who is awaiting trial for murder. Later a body is discovered, and with the horrendous weather stopping the train, Larry concludes that the killer must be a passenger on the train. I waited with anticipation to see this film, being a huge whodunit fan, this seemed in theory to fit the bill. Very much a B movie, although from the point of view of filming, production values etc. it looks very slick, very nicely made in fact. The acting is pretty good, Sydney Tafler and Barbara Murray are the standouts, both excellent in truth. I think the film attempted to cross genres, the typical British whodunit, close setting, quirky suspects, and it also tried to import some of the gangster genre that had been popular, towards the end there's a big shoot out scene, which seems oddly placed. The plot loses it a little, becoming a little messy. It didn't satisfy me from the point of view of a whodunit, as to be honest I couldn't have cared, but in many other ways it's a solid movie, not a classic, but watchable. 6/10